Another entertainment show starring non-celebrities that is raising concerns about controversy

《Kim Ji-won’s KakaoTalk》
‘Today’s story that is open and harsh’. Reporter Kim Ji-won of Ten Asia harshly criticizes entertainment and broadcasting industry issues from a difficult perspective.

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Entertainment shows featuring non-celebrities have a refreshing taste in that they feature faces that we have not seen before. What makes it interesting is that it is difficult to predict because one has no prior information. On the other hand, there is also a risk in that it is an ‘unknown person’. This is why problems with verification of performers in entertainment shows featuring non-celebrities continue to persist.

Recently, Sunja, a member of the 13th class, became controversial when she appeared on the dating program 'I'm Solo' while hiding the fact that she was single. In the 13th episode of 'I'm Solo', Sunja's entire episode was edited out, causing a series of complaints from viewers. It turned out that Sunja had hidden her marriage history, so the production team chose to edit the whole story. Sunja said, "The production team previously gave me the opportunity to publicly apologize, but I missed it all due to my selfishness, and all this time, I have pretended not to know the reason for the editing." “We sincerely apologize for causing great damage.” Fans of the show had to go through the absurd situation of not knowing why the performer was being edited out.

Viewers who learned the truth felt sorry for Gwang-soo, who was in a relationship with Sun-ja in the 13th class. Gwangsu confessed his feelings, saying, "Sunja was my final choice in the solo country," and "I cried a lot after I found out the truth, and even now, when I think about it, my eyes fill with tears, so I try not to think about it as deeply as possible." He also said, “I still feel resentful toward Sunja,” but added, “I don’t doubt Sunja’s sincerity.” In addition, he was grateful for the support of viewers, saying, "I only suffered injuries that I could endure, and my image actually improved."

This is not the first time that a contestant has been controversial in an entertainment show featuring non-celebrities. Jo Ye-young, a contestant on MBN's 'Idol Singles 3', apologized after suspicions arose that she had taken a dive without repaying money she had borrowed from her followers after gaining fame through broadcasting. Another cast member, Lee So-ra, was rumored to have had an affair with Choi Dong-hwan, who was a couple at the time, when the spin-off 'Idol Singles 3' was airing. The production team's silence further aggravated the controversy.

YouTuber Park Soo-min, who became famous as Sergeant Park in Channel A's 'Steel Unit', left the show after three episodes due to suspicions of distributing illegal footage and engaging in illegal loan sharking. Kim Hyun-woo of Channel A's 'Heart Signal' series became controversial for drunk driving. It was known that Kim Kang-yeol had been fined for assaulting a woman, but the production team continued to ignore it, increasing the anger of viewers.

In order to verify the 'veiled' cast, the production team also came up with a trick. The production team of 'Heart Signal 4' and 'Steel Unit 3', which are scheduled to air, decided to 'censor' the cast's school records. Lee Jin-min, head of Channel A's production division, said, "We are going through a process that we did not do before. We are receiving the performers' life records. We receive all elementary, middle, and high school records and check to see if there are any abnormalities. I think there will also be a self-censorship process. “He said. The joke among those in the entertainment industry that they had to check their life records when selecting trainees or auditioning them has become a reality.

In the name of protecting non-celebrity contestants, the production team remains silent, and even if the contestants forgive the contestants, viewers cannot shake off the feeling that they have already been ridiculed. From the viewer's perspective, it feels like they have been betrayed. Even if you check the life records, it would be difficult to understand the entire life of the performer. This is why there are concerns that the issue of actor verification will be repeated. Protecting non-celebrity performers is also important. However, when the same problem occurs, viewers who view the program and the performers with affection need to think about it first and deal with it as well.

Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr